The eight-week-long countrywide initiative started at the Edgar Centre a fortnight ago and will run until December 11.
About 80 children are taking part in the programme, which was launched after Netball New Zealand reviewed the junior game in 2012 and decided changes were needed to ensure development pathways and an enjoyable experience for children.
Now, children work on fundamental skills and play on a smaller court with modified rules, including using a hula hoop to shoot through.
Dunedin netball general manager Lee-Anne Anderson said the point of the programme was to include everyone and provide basic skills from the beginning.
''In some parts of the country they [years one and two] were playing a full-court seven-a-side game, and their skills just aren't at that level.
''It can get quite frustrating if you have watched a [children's] game of netball and there's no goals after half an hour. It's no fun for anyone. The kids don't like it.
''They don't care if they are shooting through a hula hoop or whether they are shooting through a post; if they can get it in, that's the exciting thing for them,'' she said.
''The point is, they are learning more skills. It's more inclusive for parents, the children get more time with the ball, they have got more space, they are getting more goals. It's more fun for everyone involved.''
While the first year of the programme is being held during the fourth term, next year it will be during the netball season, in terms two and three.
The programme for year three and four will also change, but it will be done gradually to avoid stalling development with sudden change, Anderson said.
- Robert van Royen
